Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Across the Dark Seas

‘Colourful sailors washed up on the shore Fell upon bad times Spider in the ditch she saw it all Now she’s trying to ride dance’

iTunes Session

April 20th 2010 iTunes Sessions tracks are recorded in Apple Store, New York City. Following the Coachella show, Damon’s tribute band travelled to New York City to record a live EP to be released on iTunes in promotion of their upcoming tour. The release features songs from the band’s self-titled debut, Demon Days, and their newest entry, Plastic Beach.

Murdoc: After I was deported from Cali for not having a work visa we didn’t really have a choice but to let big bad Damo and his Clash scraps lick the residue off our plates. Talk shows, in the papers, a live EP! They were everywhere! Grudges aside, I’ve gotta hand it to them, this is probably my favourite collection of Gorillaz covers done by a tribute band to date. These sessions remind me a lot of what we did for the Demon Detour, back in 2005, In-studio live recordings of our tracks. Great stuff.

A few months following the New York recording sessions, the suits over at iTunes sent one of their representatives over to Plastic Beach to interview both Murdoc and 2D for the EP release.

Murdoc: Really makes you wonder why they didn’t just come over to the island and record us playing from here, we have a million dollar mansion and an in house studio! I bet it’s all those publicists with their click baiting, making everyone think Damon’s the star. I don’t think so! He can hog the stage and the TV outings as much as he likes, but when it comes to claiming the medals, he needs to step aside. The interview was conducted by a very unenthusiastic woman, with very little to say, on the patio of Plastic Beach.

Murdoc: Very little hands too.

Throughout the interview, there seemed to be heavy tension growing between the now caramelised Murdoc and his estranged singer 2D, as they each engaged in a fist fight, more than once.

Murdoc: Well, I admit, it’s not plain sailing, I mean look at him. He’s got, well, special needs. But, for me, music is the ultimate goal. Something that you have to rise above petty differences in order to achieve. You know, the greater good. And he does have a very special voice. Voice of an ‘angle.’

2D: You can’t do without me, simple as that. You’d still be living in a Winnebago in Stoke if I wasn’t singing. Knocking off barmaids on a Friday night. If you were lucky.

Murdoc: And even if he is like dealing with some former mental case, I still think it’s worth it, in the end. And I guess it helps that he’s always looked up to me, you know, as a kind of father figure.

2D: In your dreams, Pedro.

Murdoc: And also, I understand it’s not very gentlemanly to point out that our first guitarist, the one before Noodle, was a girl called Paula Cracker. She was 2D’s girlfriend at the time, who I had a, uh, rather lovely altercation with in the toilets at Kong Studios. (Murdoc chuckling)

2D: RIGHT HAVE THAT!

(crashing, more glass breaking)

2D: NO, NO YOU CAN’T PULL THAT. OW! FOR THE LOVE OF, AH! HOO, HAA, HOO HAA. STOP IT, STOP IT! Get off!

(Murdoc hyperventilating)

Murdoc: Careful, CAREFUL!

(Table smashed, slapping sounds)

Murdoc: Sit back down, that’s it, like a good boy. Let’s finish this interview, shall we? Shh! Just breathe into this rag, yeah…deep breaths. Big gulps. Yeah…there we go. All better now. This section was shite, wasn’t it? Shall we continue? I think it might be a good idea to direct the next section at me...er…not him.

October 26th 2010 iTunes Session EP is released on iTunes

Murdoc: Well? Where else was it gonna come out?

The EP charted at #154 on the US Billboard 200, and #25 on the US Billboard Digital Albums.

Beauty of the Web

September 15th 2010 Gorillaz showcase Microsoft’s ‘Beauty of the Web’ for the launch of Internet Explorer 9’s Beta. Today Gorillaz and Microsoft have announced a partnership to celebrate the Beta launch of its Windows Internet Explorer 9 browser. Internet Explorer 9 Beta is designed to use the power of a computer’s hardware to radically improve people’s online experiences. At the same time, Internet Explorer 9 Beta reads special web design code enabling it to increase the speed, look and performance of websites. With a pioneering reputation for both online creativity and music, Gorillaz have partnered with Microsoft to develop an online experience for fans that showcases the potential of the Web when viewed through Internet Explorer 9 Beta. Murdoc: Big Jobs over at Microsoft dropped me an email one day proposing we teamed up on this little venture, which was quite funny because I didn’t realise he had my email. I was up for it. I mean I didn’t have anything else happening that Wednesday. I had the hunchbacks over at Zombie Flesh Eaters optimise the site for IE9 to take advantage of some great new integration features with Windows 7. Fans can now drag the Gorillaz favicon to their taskbar and access it like an app.Right-clicking on the Gorillaz icon in the taskbar provides access to site features including News, the G Player and even access to my island! Gorillaz fans can even personalise this list by clicking the star to save any page. All powered by HTML5! My Club Room was even turned into an interactive space. If you hop on, I’ll even talk you through it as you zoom up to the gallery wall and listen to tracks! Gorillaz.com is the online home of the world’s greatest band, and we have a reputation to uphold in the field of consistently pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation. Our website is like the ultimate destination for music, video and artwork. All presented within a framework of games, messageboards, events and information, you get the picture. Was that alright? Don’t think I overdid it, did you? I just wanted to say, like, it’s like a wizards portal, like a new magical realm, mmh…nice. Maybe some of the more technical stuff can be explained by these lot. Mike O’Soft: Good morning, Murdoc. Murdoc: Ugh, geek number one! Talk, nerd!

Mike: Okay, what’s happening there is an example of HTML5 animation. ‘Tis considerably faster, as the operating system utilises the computer’s own graphics card. You can see quite clearly how smoothly it all runs. It’s like digital liquid, binary magma poured straight into the cerebral cortex!

Murdoc: I. Hate. You.

Mike: Professional grade model HTML5 support that is built on top of modern hardware through Windows. This is like the invention of the shoehorn!

001110011: New HTML5 features include support for video and audio elements, enabling video and audio without the need for a plugin. Mike: Um, so yeah, it works across all HTML5 browsers, so you only need to develop it once, which gives us more time to develop more cutting-edge technology!

001110011: That’s the magic for IE9 for you!

Murdoc: *mocking* That’s the magic for IE9 for you. Bleh!

ABOVE “Oh yeah, another one of my many part-time jobs” MURDOC NICCALS

001110011: Nothing in my life works outside of the screen

ThorSlayer76: Well, I only got into web programming for all the chicks after the show!

(All 3 webmasters chuckle)

001110011: Chicks after the show.

Murdoc: SILENCE! BEGONE!

The team over at Microsoft decided to send over a camera crew to receive a tour of Plastic Beach from Murdoc, and to promote the IE9 beta of the Gorillaz website. While Murdoc was giving the tour of the island, a shadowed entity once more graced the fat camera lenses.

Murdoc: Who’s that? In the booth? It’s the Boogieman! Ohhh! He’s come for my soul, I gave that away years ago! Where’s the evangelist? Where’s an evangelist when you need one?

November 2nd 2010 Gorillaz announce the Evangelist competition Murdoc: IE9 was great, but you’d be a fool if you thought I was only partnering up with Microsoft because I liked their shiny new engine. Back when I arrived at Plastic Beach and found the book, I read a section from chapter 12 detailing a creature of the ocean, an ancient being and protector of our history, sent by a higher force that neither you or me could possibly comprehend. The Evangelist! Basically this gender-fluid embodiment of everything great in life, total polar opposite to the Boogieman. Bingo, that’s gonna be my saviour! Only problem was, I didn’t know anything about the Evangelist other than that they were the yin to the Boogieman’s yang. How do you go about contacting some godly shining angel spirit? So I started doing some digging using my newly installed Internet Explorer 9 applicant. Sea monsters, H.P. Lovecraft, the Loch Ness monster. All dead ends. To be fair, I did only spend about thirty minutes researching, our broadband is shocking. As a last ditch effort I turned to our adoring fans once more, and bestowed them with the task of finding this unearthly ‘Evangelist’ on my behalf to defeat the Boogiman and have those underworld bastards off my back once and for all.

Using a design app optimised for IE9’s Beta, fans could work as composite artists for the indolent Nicclas and send in sketches of what they believe the creature looks like. Some web goblins relished the opportunity to try and throw Murdoc off the trail of his mysterious saviour, intentionally submitting fake descriptions of the Evangelist in an effort to bury the real form of the creature in Murdoc’s inbox.

Murdoc: It’s those Black Clouds I tell you! They’re trying to trip me up, send me on a wild goose chase for unicorns and cowboys. I had ZFE set up this voting system on the site for fans to help eliminate fake entries sent in by those pesky pirates. Worked out great, who needs to spend hours researching and developing an algorithm when you’ve got endless waves of fans to do all the heavy lifting for you?

Over the course of two months, thousands of entries were received through Gorillaz.com and designated ‘Evangelist’ booths at ‘Escape to Plastic Beach tour’ venues. Hundreds were voted out, and finally, twelve finalists were picked to be the most likely description of the Evangelists appearance.

Murdoc: I shifted the remaining twelve entries over to Jamie Hewlett who then determined for me which one was the real Evangelist.

January 6th 2011 Jamie Hewlett reveals the Evangelists appearance Thanks to Gorillaz.com user Jirouta, Jamie was quickly capable of tracking down the creature, using the submitted drawing as reference.

ABOVE

The Evangelist

Murdoc: Alas! We knew what they looked like. Jamie managed to snap a photo of it while they were backstroking past the beach one day. Things from here were simple; if this thing was to ever turn up on my doorstep, I knew it’d be time to pack my bags and scurry off to my sub. The book says once the creature arrives at the island, them and their counterpart, the Boogieman, will battle it out for the fate of humanity. I tell you, that M.A.N book is a lot like a cheat manual, still, I’m not complaining. Jirouta was thanked by Murdoc with a complimentary Gorillaz prize pack, including a signed print from Mr. Hewlett.

Murdoc: I would’ve signed it myself but my wrists were hurting after using my mouse to navigate this wonderful new IE9 beta, seriously, this thing’s incredible! I can’t see any other browser ever topping this.

BELOW

Original design by winner Jirouta

Doncamatic: All Played Out

September 2010 2D began work on his modified Korg minipop

Murdoc: Plastic Beach had come and gone, and I wanted to do more. Not necessarily a whole nother record per say, but something. A single or two. I began writing up a few demos but I couldn’t think straight because of one specific shart was making too much noise in his little underwater room.

Meanwhile, down in the depths of the island, 2D was busy constructing a piece of musical machinery.

2D: Massive Dick kept wanting to have a nip at me, I don’t think Murdoc’s been feeding him, so I had to make this thing to be sure he wouldn’t eat me whole. Using a modified version of Korg’s Disc Rotary Electric Auto Rhythm Machine Donca Matic DA-20, which I called the Donkatron for short, I could send out high range boomy frequencies to fend off that giant bug eyed fish. Two squinks and six squonks seemed to work best. The bass was so heavy it could make butter in a shake jar.

Murdoc: I wasn’t thrilled about that to say the least, that whale is there for a reason D. Still, I did see musical potential in this little machine 2D was building. He always likes collecting these little pieces of garbage, it must’ve washed up on Plastic Beach.

2D: I used a few different things that were knocking about on the island. Some vuvuzelas Murdoc nicked from a vendor at Glastonbury, a couple old blown-out speakers we had in the studio. Half a dozen eggs, frying pan, mini ticker tape board, atari joystick.

Murdoc: A beautiful clump of shit. Sums up this whole place quite well I might add. That frequency he found, The squinks and the squawking or whatever, it sounded great. I couldn’t let him keep it though, could I?

Following the acquisition, Murdoc sampled the Donkatrons unique whale-repelling beats. A few weeks later, a new artist washed up on the shores of Plastic Beach.

Murdoc: Daley was his name, nice chap from Manchester. I found him covered in oil and singing to a seagull…or was it an albatross? They were having a picnic, I remember that much. Anyway, I recognise golden pipes when I hear ‘em so I popped a bag over his head, hosed the boy down and chucked him in the studio with Cyborg Noodle and her eight-track. I left them to it while I stepped outside for a Lucky Lung or three, and when I popped back in this is what they’d come up with. Am I a genius or what?

In a short time frame, Murdoc had recorded a new track titled ‘Doncamatic’, named in homage to the Korg machine that was used to produce the foundation of the song.

Murdoc: Oh Doncamatic! All bouncing beats, deep funk grooves and sumptuous soothing vocals, those horny horn noises, this track just makes you want to move. This was a delightful coda to our Plastic Beach album - I was looking for something to finish it off with a flourish after the whole thing had been said and done. I just missed squeezing this onto the original release!

ABOVE

2D in his room with the Doncatron

BELOW

Doncatron powering the minisub

2D: I found out about Daley by watching him on YouTube, and he was just so cool. I think he’s a bit of a star in the making. Not to sound too Simon Cowell.

Following the recording of the song, Murdoc kept Daley on the island, with more planned for the young Manchester singer.

Murdoc: I needed to get this track out as a single as soon as humanly possible, the pressure was on…but I wanted a video to accompany the track. I called up Jamie Hewlett and those Passionless Picture nerds to haul their keesters over here on the island with whatever recording equipment they could carry.

Upon the arrival of Jamie Hewlett and Passion Pictures, Murdoc had the Donkatron installed inside his old rusty brown submarine in place of the busted engine.

Murdoc: The whole thing was powered by song! If Daley were to stop singing, even momentarily, the whole thing would’ve gone up in flames. How’s that for motivation? Besides that one minor detail, this would be the only staged music video we recorded during the entirety of the promotional run of Plastic Beach. It felt nice to finally do a proper video again, instead of just putting out documentary footage with our songs overlapped.

Daley was pulled out to the shores, Murdoc and the production crew pitched him the idea, what he would be doing, and threw him into the submarine.

Murdoc: Poor lad was a little nervous, mainly because he didn’t know how to drive a submarine, and also because this was his first proper promo piece. I gave him a few pointers, seeing as though I’ve starred front and centre in some of the most viewed music videos in the world, before closing the hatchet, kicking the sub, and sending him off to sea. Jamie yelled ‘ACTION!’ and I sat back with a beer in my hand, ready to watch the magic commence.

The video opens with Daley in a one man submarine, deep below the ocean, as he begins to sing. Passing by fish, stingrays, and the Superfast Jellyfish.

Murdoc: Y’know I have to say, for an album that had this aquatic influence, I feel as though this video captures the oceanic life the best out of any of the videos we’ve put out for Plastic Beach. There’s no guns, car chases, boogiemen, ghosts. Just the beautiful life of the sea. Coral reefs, schools of fish, just the amazing reality of nature.

ABOVE

Thirteen. Doncamatic.

“Who’s that even?” SOMEONE

As Daley continues his navigation, he begins receiving a transmission from none other than 2D, who’s broadcasting from his underwater room on Plastic Beach, singing his vocals of the song.

Murdoc: We planned on having 2D in the submarine with Daley, but the budget had dried up and I couldn’t afford anymore chloroform.

Continuing his expedition, Daley encounters a great white shark which attempts to take a chomp out of the submarine.

Murdoc: That was actually the only unscripted part of the whole video, this shark came out of nowhere and tried to eat Daley whole! I’m surprised though, he kept his composure and kept singing, without messing up anything! That’s when I knew this kid had some real potential.

Daley then comes across an abandoned sunken ship, long lost to time, as sea life has slowly inhabited the remains.

Murdoc: Christ…how deep did he go?

Finally, Daley passes the panoramic room of Plastic Beach as he slowly ascends to the surface to be greeted by the plastic island against a beautiful sunset.

Murdoc: After that Passion Pictures had a few additional shots here and there redone on a greenscreen in LA during the Plastic Beach tour. A bit pointless really, they look the same to me, apparently it was just to add an extra layer of polish to the whole thing.

And with that the Doncamatic video was complete! Another addition to Gorillaz grand filmography. Not long after the recording of the video, all of the collaborators on Plastic Beach showed up! The time had come for the band to finally leave the island and tour the whole world in their pirate ship. As the band, collaborators, and Jamie’s camera crew prepared to head out, a dark feeling crept down Niccals’ crooked spine as he stood atop his palace. Something was coming….and it wasn’t going to end well.

October 5th 2010 Doncamatic premieres on Zane Lowe’s Radio One show.

2D: I think a couple fans were a bit upset that they got this single instead of Rhinestone Eyes.

Murdoc: So? What were we supposed to do? It’s not our fault we have such a naff label that cut all our funding.

2D: Er, actually…it is sorta your fault-

Murdoc: Quiet you.

November 15th 2010 Doncamatic music video premieres on MySpace

Upon release, the video received lukewarm reception from fans, however, it did receive an abundance of views and was generally claimed as a moderate success.

Murdoc: 2D…can you grab that towel? There’s a bit of water on the floor.

November 21st 2010 Doncamatic single is released

The single was released via digital download, with a physical release following the next day. It charted at No.37 in the UK Charts.

Murdoc: This one was the most successful single we put out in 2010, so I suppose EMI weren’t 100% wrong to change our plans…

The Obligatory Awards Section

September 7th 2010 Gorillaz win GQ’s Band Of The Year September 7th marked the first date in another long line of nominations flooding the Gorillaz already packed yearly schedule. The first of which being GQ’s annual Band Of The Year award. Unsurprisingly, Murdoc did not collect his award himself. It was in fact accepted on his behalf, yet again, by Damon Albarn and his cohort Jamie Hewlett.

Murdoc: I know what you’re thinking, but there’s a perfectly logical explanation as to why this happened…again.

2D: A while back we were invited over to Milan for two nights by some bloke called Giorgio Armani. I’d never heard of the feller but he wanted us to attend his invite-only nightclub in Prive.

Murdoc: Couldn’t say I knew who the ol’ geezer was either, if I’m being honest I thought we’d been invited to one of those lavish sex clubs, like Killing Kittens, which I was actually invited to the launch of back in 2005.

2D: Isn’t that place for female pleasure?

Murdoc: Believe me boyo, the pleasure was all mine.

2D visibly shudders in despair.

Murdoc: Turns out it wasn’t a swingers club, it was just…a club! A few drinks were spilled and numbers were exchanged. Ended up meeting this Armani for a meeting at around 9am the next day.

2D: If you know anything about Murdoc, and you probably should by this point, he’s never to be woken up before 5pm. Ever.

Murdoc: Turns out he’s some kind of fashion designer or something, wanted us on board for a denim ad campaign. Now I want you to take a minute to recall any point where you’ve ever seen ME. IN DENIM.

2D: What are you talking about? You used to wear denim all the time when we first met.

Murdoc: Yeah, but that doesn’t count. That was before the big bucks came rolling in. It’s money that makes a man, you know?

Murdoc: So I sat this old fart down and said “listen mate: the only people in England wearing your jeans are football hooligans.” Now I may…(pause) I MAY, mind you have had a bit too much to drink. And…I was still drunk enough to think I spoke Italian. 2D: Dear lord. Murdoc: I said something along the lines of “No, I don’t need translation, I understand what Giorgio is saying” and I could perfectly guv honestly. I kept contradicting him and he got fed up with me, shouted “Scusi! Shhh!” whatever that means.

2D: Excuse me.

Murdoc: Excuse yourself, I’m bloody talking here.

2D: No ‘Excuse me’, ‘Scusi’. He was calling you rude.

Murdoc: You speak Italian?

2D: Apparently. Unsurprisingly, Murdoc lost the opportunity for a Denim tie-in campaign and hadn’t seen Giorgio since - until they met again at the GQ Men Of The Year awards.

Murdoc: I’ll admit when I’ve been bested, I’m a decent man like that you see. So I went through the entrance with Big D and little J, had a few pictures snapped for the GQ mag (note the comically large bowtie I had custom tailored specifically for my acceptance speech, it spun around and shot rum thirty feet across the room and everything!), bolted it to the open bar, drank too quickly, headed to the toilets, had a quick wah wah with Sir Paul Mccartney who just happened to be in there for some reason or another. Next thing I knew. Well…I got sucker-punched mate, square in the abdomen, surprised my eyeballs didn’t pop out of there sockets, he packs a wallop for a seventy year old bloke that Armani I’ll tell you that much, built like a fucking gorilla. I was just left there on the men’s floor flailing around like a kipper. Damon and Jamie saw the whole thing happen, they were bloody mortified, and Damon being the cowardly suck-up he really is, ran off prancing like a little girl, probably worried he’d lose another tooth. Needless to say I wasn’t exactly in any kind of state to collect my award, had to send dumb and dumber up instead. Upon arriving at the stage to collect Murdoc’s award Damon Albarn said simply:

Damon Albarn: All I’d like to say is to apologise to Giorgio Armani for my appalling behaviour last time we met each other.

Jamie quickly echoed this apology before the pair sheepishly returned to their table.

Murdoc: It seems like them playing ball got them both back in the good books, the three of them had a picture snapped together later that day. I wasn’t invited to be in that one. C**ts.

September 12th 2010 Gorillaz attend the MTV VMAs

Four days later saw Gorillaz attending the MTV VMAs. Stylo was nominated for ‘Breakthrough Video’ of the year for its fast paced action packed explosive slam dunk onto the screens of music stations internationally, or that would’ve been the case if it wasn’t for the single tanking in sales. Stylo went head-to-head with the likes of ‘Strawberry Swing’ by Coldplay, ‘Symphonies’ by Dan Black, and finally ‘Tighten Up’ by The Black Keys, who pulled the rug beneath everyone’s feet with their shaky filmed play park loitering short.

Murdoc: What is this? This is like an advert for healthcare.

2D: Yeah, I don’t like this, it’s making me uncomfortable. These are just kids, mate.

Murdoc: Stylo seriously lost to this? MTV decided that kids lip syncing and beating each other up in a playground topped a high speed car chase in the Californian desert with Bruce Willis that put the Fast and Furious films to shame? Christ. That wasn’t a ‘breakthrough video’, you’d see that on any street corner of Middlesbrough.

2D: Why are these middle aged men just watching that kid get beat up?

Murdoc: This is just painful! YOU CAN SEE THE AMERICAN FLAG MATE GOOD GOD.

September 30th 2010 Gorillaz attend the BT Digital Awards

The BT Digital Awards would end up being one of the biggest award ceremonies in store for Gorillaz during the year, with five nominations in three different categories.

Murdoc: Yeah we were up for Artist Of The Year, Best Music App, and Best Artist Promotion. Mind you we had two nominations in each of those last two categories. These BT Digital Awards people were all over us.

The first award the band won during the evening was Best Artist Promotion for their Escape To Plastic Beach Game.

2D: Well…it ain’t a Webby, but it’s something.

The second award the band won during the evening was for Artist Of The Year.

Murdoc: A second award!? I thought we were done, I just popped off for a quick forest, oh me seam’s gone again. Anyway artist of the year, I’ve been called many things over the years but I think that one’s probably the closest. So thanks to all the Zombie Flesh Eaters, 13, sealers, EMI, the RMPs, and all the collaborators who’ve sailed with us on Plastic Beach so far. And mostly, thanks to all the Gorillaz fans out there. We’re coming to meet you, we’re going out on a world tour!

October 12th 2010 Gorillaz win ‘Best Animation’ award for ‘On Melancholy Hill’ at UK Music Video Awards.

Some of the final award activities for the band as the year wrapped up included nominations for Q Awards, MTV EMAs, Grammys…

Murdoc: All the usual tosh.

The Battle of Rhinestone Eyes

Following the Doncamatic video shoot, Murdoc prepared for what could be the end of his regime over Plastic Beach.

Murdoc: I got this bad feeling. I had it before when we were in California with Bobby, and then again when we were on our way back to Plastic Beach with the collaborators. That’s usually our cue to start filming. I look up, and I see him…the Boogieman! ARGH!

Murdoc immediately activated Cyborg and stormed his way to the roof.

Murdoc: Wait…before we dive into this, we should probably address the elephant in the room.

2D: What elephant?

Murdoc: Why the video isn’t finished, you dim-witted lobotomised little twirp.

2D: It isn’t? Why are we talking about it then? Shouldn’t we wait until after?

Murdoc: It’s not going to be finished, well, not by us at least. As we were wrapping up Melancholy Hill, EMI sort of…well, they pulled the plug on us didn’t they? Refused to give me another penny. I suppose I played my hand too early with Stylo and ticked them off. They kept sending me emails yammering on about how I’m in ‘breach of contract’ and ‘over budget’ and all that tosh. I hastily sent them to my spam folder whenever they came through as a quick alibi for not paying up. Figured I could leave it at that. Apparently as Passion Pictures were setting up the filming equipment for the shoot, this huge ship turned up on my doorstep: the Battleship Ringo, EMI’s first line of international defence against artists in breach of contract. They started interrogating the crew on where I was! Couldn’t find me though… I was nice and cosy behind my bookshelf watching the whole thing play out. So yeah, once they gave up looking for me they confiscated all of Jamie’s filming equipment. Total nightmare! Said they wouldn’t give it back until after my debts were paid off. When it came time to begin filming for the arrival of Russel & Noodle we were caught with our pants down. J. Weasel had to improvise and speed sketch everything that was happening at once. The man’s hands are like lightning! It’s a shame nobody thought to pull out their iphone and just film it that way. Still, there’s certainly a unique charm to this one…one that screams ‘we’re broke’.

2D: It’s like a little comic book of one of the worst days of my life.

The opening sketch shows Russel and Noodle on their way to the shores of Plastic Beach, with Noodle riding on the top of Russel’s head as he eats a hammerhead shark.

Murdoc: Russ really needs to stop doing that… can’t possibly keep blaming his weight problems on his thyroid after doing something like that.

We then see The Boogieman at the top of Plastic Beach, with Murdoc and Cyborg Noodle confronting him. Cyborg opens fire on the Boogieman as he takes cover behind Pazuzu. The Boogieman then jumps into the ocean, with 2D noticing him from the window in his room.

2D: I heard the impact of him hitting the water and figured it was Murdoc drunkenly falling off the balcony again. When I realised that it wasn’t Murdoc my face just dropped. I’m never gonna know peace on this bleedin’ island am I? At this point It’s like living in a Jim Shaw fever dream!

Murdoc: Oh, that was a good reference. Nice one 2D. A bit ham-fisted but it landed.

2D: I’ve been saving that one for a while.

The Boogieman swims to the Glitter Freeze ship and then points to Murdoc, declaring war on his island. We then cut to what appears to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in a desert, while the Boogieman is left behind on a donkey. A mysterious man approaches Flatulence and holds out his hand in what appears to be the offering of a partnership. As the Boogieman stretches out his arm to shake and squeeze the stranger’s hand, the man is revealed to be Murdoc.

2D: Wait I’m confused, I don’t remember any of that happening. What’s all this about?

Murdoc: Oh, this sequence… I’m going to have to give some context aren’t I? These scenes are based on me meeting with the Boogieman for the first time. It was in Mexico after I’d busted out of prison and began my career as a gun-runner with a mate I made on the inside, Pablo. We added these mainly just as an excuse to tie in my history with the bastard to this weird 3-video long arc we’ve found ourselves locked into. So there it is, me making the deal that’d ultimately send me on this six-year long cockup. Was it worth it? Well, it made for an interesting plot.

The scene returns to present day with the Boogieman staring down a slimy grinning Niccals. Cyborg Noodle blows the front door off its hinges while hauling a complete arsenal of weaponry, surprising all of the collaborators residing on the beach. The Boogieman then summons his own army to attack Plastic Beach and…wait…is that the Gorillaz live band?

Murdoc: Oi! Damon! Paul! Thank Christ you guys are here, help me out would you?

Suddenly, two pirate jets fly over the ship and begin shooting at Murdoc and the island.

Murdoc: I recognised these pirate types from the footage of the M. Harriet bombing…I knew Noodle and Russel had to be close by with those lot on my tail.

As explosions take out the interior of Murdoc’s study. Massive Dick storms the bottom of Plastic Beach, scaring the life out of 2D as he covers his face with the clown mask.

2D: I didn’t have the Donkatron with me because Murdoc had already packed it up for the tour, so I was left defenceless against this massive…dick.

Murdoc: Good one.

Back outside, Cyborg and the collaborators are still taking cover from the pirate assault. As Cyborg reloads while hidden behind a tree, she begins to malfunction, staring down the collaborators as oil leaks from her eyes, nose, and mouth.

Murdoc: I bet that scared the pants off them! I doubt any of those lot would dare miss another tour date after something like that.

As Massive Dick continues to chomp away at 2D’s underwater room, a giant hand grabs the tail of the aquatic beast. It’s the humongous hip-hop hard man himself. Russel tosses the whale into the sky, hitting one of the pirate jets.

2D: That bloke bombing Murdoc ended up dead, yet the whale survived…brilliant.

Russel leans over the surface of the island, staring down at Cyborg and the collaborators. Cyborg freezes in amazement as Russel opens his mouth to reveal Noodle inside, safe and sound. Noodle takes off her mask, showing the scars around her right eye. With that, the Rhinestone Eyes storyboard was complete.

October 3rd 2010 Rhinestone Eyes storyboard premieres at the first Escape To Plastic Beach tour date

Murdoc: I know it seems a bit awkward that we left Noodle and Russel there on the island as me, 2D, Cyborg and the live band set sail for Bell Center, but we really did have to get going or else we would’ve missed our flight! I was thrilled to see Noodle and Russel again, seriously I was! But despite my joy I was under the impression that they weren’t too happy to see me. I couldn’t say why. I’m sure arson, gun-running, kidnappings and Cyborgs had nothing to do with it. Figured leaving them to get acquainted with the island was the best course of action in this situation… let them blow off some steam for a bit before we get them up on stage again. Then when I return from the tour we could discuss things maturely. Y’know...no fists involved.

October 4th 2010 Rhinestone Eyes storyboard premieres on YouTube

ABOVE

Gorillaz set sail

“Yo-Ho! Yo-Ho! A monkey’s life for me!” MURDOC NICCALS

Murdoc: You’d think that was it. The end of an era, no more money, no cameras. 2D: No label.

Murdoc: Not for much longer I’m sure. But I wasn’t having Gorillaz go down without a fight! I had Jamie release his sketches online in place of the video, and told 2D he had until the end of the year to cobble together a new album for us to throw out into the cosmos. There’s still time to turn this ship around, baby!

2D: Are you mental? We got a tour to go on. How am I meant to do that?

Murdoc: Figure it out or this’ll all be your fault. I can sue you, you know?

Rhinestone Eyes was initially intended to receive a full release as the fourth single from Plastic Beach, with copies of the physical single being sent to radio stations across the United States. However, just days after the copies were issued, the band made the decision to issue the non-album single ‘Doncamatic’ instead. Despite this, Rhinestone Eyes still managed to chart in the US, charting at #34 on the US Alternative Airplay, #49 on the US Rock Digital Song Sales, and #16 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales.

The Recording of ‘The Fall’

October 3rd 2010 Gorillaz set sail for their Escape to Plastic Beach tour, 2D begins recording for The Fall From Montreal to Vancouver via Seattle, Texas and Toronto, over 31 days on their North American Tour during the autumn of 2010, Gorillaz recorded a musical diary. The result is a collection of 15 tracks, some with vocals, some without, some combined performances and some solo.

Murdoc: Well, this is curious...I don’t remember recording this one at all. A whole album... and nothing. But it’s got the Gorillaz name on it so I must have done it! Did I? Really? Yeah...I probably did. Did it on an iPad using all the music apps...Fatbooth, FaceAche, iBeer, InstantAlbum...all the great apps. “Great Appz”...

A large portion of The Fall was recorded in venue, during warm up sessions & while Murdoc and co. were suspiciously trapped within each location’s dressing room. Was Murdoc’s live band playing dirty? Or were there other forces at play, yet to reveal itself?

Murdoc: I don’t know what happened there really. Uh, I mean, we went on that tour, right, arrived at each venue and sound checked every night, but then each and every dressing room in each and every venue the door was jammed. Jammed shut! So, I never made it to the stage. I just had to put up with listening to that sodding Gorillaz live tribute band play every night. I mean, y’know, they sounded good, really good. But, not a patch on what they would have been with me in the line-up, of course. (dry cough) So, yeah where were we? Oh yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, The Fall. Gorillaz tour guide. I need more rum, mmh…

2D: Don’t you think it was a bit suspicious that the live band were summoned to Plastic Beach when the Boogieman was trying to kill you?

Murdoc: What? No! I mean he is after my eternal soul but he was just doing us a favour, wasn’t he?

2D: I dunno, them lot didn’t seem very pleased to see you.

Murdoc: Be that as it may, we were all having fun on the boat trip over to the states though, weren’t we?

2D: Paul battered you with the plank cos you wouldn’t stop singing sea shanties.

Murdoc: Well maybe he just wasn’t a fan of ‘Blow The Man Down’.

2D: I’m just saying that the same people who hired security to stop you getting on stage, the same people who were summoned by the Boogieman, probably had something to do with us getting locked in the back at every gig.

Murdoc: Doubt it. I think you’re just paranoid. Can we move on from this?

The album features a roster of noteworthy performances from the likes of Mick Jones, Jeff Wooton, Jesse Hackett, Paul Simonon, Mike Smith, James R Grippo, and Bobby Womack.

2D: Surprisingly they were all happy to lend a hand where they could, I guess it’s just Murdoc they have a problem with. I also had Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D on a track while we were in Houston, but it didn’t really fit with the rest of the record so I ended up going with The Parish of Space Dust instead. Murdoc: Pharrel Williams? That’s an odd choice for The Fall. I can see why you cut it.

2D: Yeah…

Murdoc: ...Are you going to keep talking about how you made it then or should I go get Pharrell and ask him?

2D: Er…

Murdoc: Oh for the love of- Pharrell, can you get in here for a second mate?

Pharrell: We were working on a song together, we never finished it but it sounds so dope.

Murdoc: Insightful stuff. 2D?

2D: Oh right. It’s, uh, actually something I did on the, uh, iPad initially. You didn’t really bother, I was totally engrossed with this for like the whole North America leg. Murdoc: I’m engrossed…with nothing…wish I was though.

2D: Alright, so this whole album I threw together in about a month. Murdoc insisted on me getting something done before the end of the year but since we were on tour my only option was this iPad that washed up on the island. I didn’t just do it cos he told me to though, there’s a lot of time on tours where I just end up staring at walls, so this was a fantastic way of doing it. Working in the day, whether it was in the hotel or in the venues, was a brilliant way of keeping myself busy. Murdoc: And annoying the tits off of me.

2D:I wanted to try and do something different. The first Gorillaz album, our debut record, was more Russel’s...like...lots of hip-hop, funk and Cuban dub stars. Demon Days right, came more from Noodle and her dark doomy demos that she made, and all of her contemplations on the world ‘in a place of night’. Plastic Beach came out mainly from Murdoc’s head, all of his mucky exploits and global collaborations and legendary mash-ups recorded on the Plastic Beach island in the middle of the ocean. Very rum and piratey. And this one, The Fall, is mostly just me...something more gentle and just...well...it’s just me and an iPad really, mucking about...trying out some stuff. Just looking at America and then tapping on the screen...I’m not really concentrating too hard on it....So, right, each album got all of us on it somewhere, but each time it’s...more of one of us than the others....Well, that’s how I see it anyway. This time it’s me.

Murdoc: Right…

2D: I guess it’s my love-letter to America. I used to be very baffled by this place, and I guess I still am in some ways; America confuses me enormously. I was thinking of calling the album October originally, but figured since Murdoc already stole one of U2’s live shows, I should probably stay away from nicking an album name also. Eventually settled on The Fall, fit with the time of year, and the overall feeling of where Gorillaz was going…it was Mark E. Smith who suggested it actually, although when I was asking for name ideas I think he just misheard me and thought I was asking what band he was from. When he first heard Plastic Beach he thought it was the Fall, his band I mean, not my album, so he thought our album was his album and that’s why I ended up calling my album in tribute to his albums. You with me?

Murdoc: Uh, Right 2D, The Fall: sound of America.

2D: Okay, well no it’s not sound of America, it’s the sound I made in different places in America.

Murdoc: So it’s the sound America makes…

2D: Uh, no it-it’s just recorded in different cities, uh, different tour buses, uh, different dressing rooms. I was using apps on the iPad, testing ‘em out and just messing around with them when-

Murdoc: What kinda apps?

2D: Well, loads of stuff, like Speak It! which is a voice generator. Soundythingie which is…a sound thingy. Keyboard apps like the Moog, uh, Filatron, S’lo Synth, M3000 X(H)D, bs-16i, Dub Siren Pro, Mugician, Electivire, Harmonizer-

Murdoc: Diji-booth, Timewaster, Nerd Synth, iGeek, YouTwat. And with these, you made a scrapbook album on America.

2D: Yeah, just started sketching out ideas, in each town that we played in. So, some of it was, uh, recorded in dressing rooms-

Murdoc: Oh yeah.

2D: Some-

Murdoc: Yeah, yeah right

2D: in the mountains, some in the back of the bus, going through all of the towns.

Murdoc: Yeah, right, yeah.

2D: The Fall, it’s like each track is a little musical polaroid of another stop on the Gorillaz US tour, like a snapshot, y’know? It’s not meant to be -a an

Murdoc: Mm, yeah. 2D: Too detailed, or anythin’. It’s just an impression of where we were, or the mood I was in on that day, or y’know, just- just weather or something I saw. It’s more like a scrapbook with some cuttings and sketches in-

Murdoc: Yeah right.

2D: A diary! Yeah, it’s a tour diary, I mean, someone’s said it’s like a sketchbook full of doodles you’d find lying about on the pavement. Uh, I don’t really know. It’s just a record I made with some gadgets, init?

Murdoc: And, what did the doctors say about all this?

2D: Huh? Uh, what?-

Murdoc: Go on.

2D: I was just tryin’ to say, I literally made it on the road. I didn’t write it before, I didn’t prepare it. I didn’t have time to do anything really. I just did it day by day as a kind of diary of my experience in America. If I left it until the New Year to release it then the cynics out there would say, ‘Oh well, it’s been tampered with’, but if I put it out now they’d know that I haven’t done anything because I’ve been on tour ever since.

Murdoc: Cynics? Why do you care? We only needed this out the door to meet our quota. The Fall was recorded on 2D’s iPad over 32 days during the North American leg of the Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour and mixed and produced in England by Stephen Sedgwick. Other instruments that were used includes a qanun, a Korg vocoder, a ukulele, a microKORG, an Omnichord, a Minimoog Voyager, a melodica, a guitar, a piano and a Korg Monotron. The album was produced by Stephen Shedwig. Mastered by Geoff Pesche in November 2010, at Abbey Road Studios, London.

Murdoc: That was half bearable. Any final notes 2D?

2D: If Plastic Beach was an island, The Fall is its jetty. Just a nice bit of…er…wood sticking out of the side. It’s a kind of an extension I’ve had built.

Murdoc: Freak. Shall we go back to discussing what I’ve been up to next?

2D: I haven’t gone through the songs yet…

Murdoc: Alright, so I’ve actually got a funny story about this tour. Some fat naked bloke came up to me after one of the shows and said ‘I didn’t really like your concert, it was too loud.’ I was thinking ‘what’re you on about, it was too loud?’ Thought he was taking the piss, but the next day when I opened my emails I got this message, right? Said something like ‘Dear Mister M. Niccals, we’ve grown concerned after the recent excessive noise played at our local venue, the cats won’t stop crying, please consider repositioning your speakers to avoid any further kerfuffles.’

2D: Wot?

The Fall Song by Song

Murdoc: Go on then 2D, say something. The world awaits with bated breath (yawns).

PHONER TO ARIZONA

The opening track of the album, a seemingly never ending tune full of sirens, distorted computer vocals, and dry drum beats. Out of the gate, we are already made aware of what kind of album this will be. The track was recorded in Montreal, Canada on October 3rd 2010, the night of the first Escape To Plastic Beach tour date.

2D: It’s not ABOUT Arizona as you can imagine, we’d have to be much more to the west. And... (pause) south. Yeah. It’s got a…er…well - it’s like a train journey or a soundtrack to a train journey. It’s a horror train actually, (snickers) going from one station to another in a sun scorched horrible descent into darkness, night time, and trouble. As the tour progressed and got messier and messier, this relentless train was still hurtling through the night…like, you know, smashing its ghostly way from town to town and city to city. An unstoppable juggernaut of hedonism, chaos and mayhem. Murdoc: Available as a download kids, if you’re still reading.

2D: Jamie Hewlett did a video to this track. It shows what I’m talkin’ about a bit. It’s up on our website, I think. It’s definitely out there somewhere. So this track, it’s a horror score I guess. Murdoc: Mind your coco folks.

REVOLVING DOORS

Heading into the most successful track on the album, it was released as a double A-Side single along with ‘Amarillo’, making it the only single release off the record. The song was recorded in Boston, Massachusetts on October 5th 2010.

Murdoc: So what inspired this track then?

2D: I remember that I came up with it after being stuck in a revolving door in a motel in Boston. This happens to me from time to time.

Murdoc: Ah, yeah. Brilliant. Go on.

2D: Well this came from a thought, yeah, a feeling I had when I was away. As I was walkin’ into a hotel, through the doors, the revolving doors, and the dislocation of being away from home. This image of this door permanently revolving. The endless repetition and the pointless rhythm of it all, I guess struck quite a melancholic image within me. You know, just the routine of -

Murdoc: - Can I stop you there? Thanks. You know who I really fancy at the moment? Kara Tointon from Eastenders the T.V. program, you seen that? I think she’s really got something going for her, y’know. I think- what I’d like to do is get her on the island, this island here, and um, y’know. Do her. (immature chuckle) Y’know, think that would be great. (more chuckling) Anyway, sorry what- what were you saying?

2D: Anyway, I thought like, woah, a lot of stuff in life is like a revolving door, like erm...like with drugs, you know? It’s just like..you are walking in and you have a sense of movement but you never actually get out, you move from London to Boston to play a gig, but all’s the same, you get stuck and just spin and spin and get into the same thing over and over again. So I was watching these doors spinning round, just revolving gently ‘n the feeling I got was quite -

Murdoc: You know what? You’re really weird you are. I don’t know what’s going through your head half the time. I don’t think you should talk anymore.

HILLBILLY MAN

This track starts off with a calm and quiet melody, featuring only 2D’s vocals and an acoustic guitar, before the second half of the song delves into a total frenzy, with percussion, synthesisers, and what you can hardly make out to be the growls of a grizzly bear. It was recorded on the 10th and 11th of October 2010 in Camden, New Jersey and Fairfax, Virginia.

2D: I am a hillbilly man myself, just like...English. I was smacked into a big city after growing up in a smaller, simpler place. I guess that Jersey kinda reminds me of that feeling, the town is like in the middle...there’s something in the mentality, in the people. They are trying to help themselves in all that rush but they’re just drowning, keep on getting into trouble. That’s sorta the hillbilly lie, that somewhere else, somewhat different is either better or worse, they just create that false image of it all, and that bubble screams ‘helping me helping me’, but that stuff ain’t helping, the cities ain’t helping. It’s just concrete and steel.

Murdoc: Go and mix me a drink. I’m gonna put you back in the cellar in a minute, Hillbilly man, strewth. 2D: I decided to sample the Donkatron machine I built for this one, I think it really helped that second half of the song.

The most upbeat and popish song off the album, this track was recorded in Detroit, Michigan on October 13th 2010.

Murdoc: Oh, so glad you asked about that track, you see that stroboscopic track is one of the better ones of The Fall, as it includes the great feature…me! I am that distant voice, that person who wants to communicate with you, but you’re too drunk, too tired, that’s all just some sort of blubbering-

2D: You were drunk and blubbering, actually.

Murdoc: Shut up, they got the point. 2D: I just let you say something into the microphone with a filter to make the funny voices, you know.

Murdoc: Tuckered me out.

SHY-TOWN

In this next track, it almost sounds like we are at the lobby of a NASA space station that was recently abandoned. The lights are still functioning, and so are a lot of the mechanics, but the building is completely void of human life, leaving the listener feeling more isolated than anywhere else on the record. This song was recorded in Chicago, Illinois on October 15th 2010.

2D: I really like that slang name of Chicago, Shy-Town. It’s really fitting from what I recall, everyone is hiding in their little worlds, focused on and terrified by something that’s at the same time, sort of the beauty of the city. I remember when we arrived there with Murdoc and the Cyborg, that’s- that was actually the time I found out that she had those wires and stuff.

Murdoc: Took you long enough.

2D: I saw them when she started charging, she was plugged to the power and the whole process really terrified and fascinated me, that was my moment of...that...well, my shy moment. When I didn’t dare to interrupt, I was amazed by the electricity reflecting around the room...also Murdoc had a gun. The flashing light made me see them red dots you get in your eyes, as you know my eyesight is not the best sort, so everything went kind of noir and blurry for me, passing cars on the street and the electricity seemed equally distant. Through that suggestion, I got dislocated. So that’s how I see this track. Noir, dislocated, terrifying but curious. Murdoc: They actually call it Chi-Town, I know your eyes are done but the fucks wrong with yer ears, lad?

At the end of the last track, we hear the sounds of an isolated highway, carrying the momentum of ‘Shy-Town’. Before the listener can even process what they’re hearing, we are put in the middle of this melancholy tune. This song was recorded in Chicago, Illinois on October 16th 2010.

2D: You know, I see The Fall as some sort of road album. Like you have road movies, right? This is a road album. And this song is a travel montage. You know, when you see the shots of the highways in the dark, the main character smoking with the window open, stops at the motels...and the fag ashes, bags, the trash, it all just flashes through that, it’s left behind, it doesn’t know where it’s going...same as a kidnapped bloke who can just float... like them bags, ya know...waiting to see where the wind will drag them. So I guess it’s what the song is about. That floating. A bit scary, but peaceful.

Murdoc: Oh you had to mention the kidnapping, didn’t you? Get over it.

In the beginning of the song we can vaguely hear what appears to be Damon Albarn and his personal bodyguard, Darren “Smoggy” Evans, questioning how poisonous a spider bite can be. For some odd reason, Smoggy declares that spider’s venom is extra venomous to primates.

Murdoc: Mmmm…thanks for the tip Smoggy.

This song was recorded in Joplin, Missouri on October 18th 2010.

2D: Oh that song is actually inspired by the moment someone drugged me heavily...

Murdoc: (Scoffs) Wonder who that was.

2D: The only thing I could focus on was that little spider. Something was happening, but all I could do was experience it through the spider. Her...his...or...their...I’m sorry, I don’t want to misgender the spider, but I never managed to ask...that’s why the song has both “he” and “she”. Anyway, the spider’s ditch was my radar, the vibrations of it seemed to move that chaos through me. Suddenly a gunshot fired and the spider was gone, someone just dragged me out, and so we went along the highway...yeah. And all that web, the little spider’s world, it dissolved…

This emotional Texan ballad opens with the sound of FM radio chitter chatter. The track was recorded in Houston, Texas on October 19th 2010.

Murdoc: I’ve always wanted to be a little cowboy.

2D: I remember waking up in the car and being stroked by-

Murdoc: -Mick Jones?

2D: By the morning sun reflecting in the Houston river. The road dust flowing everywhere, it seems like in all that morning rush, with a broken radio playing in the background, I managed to catch some sorta cosmic landscape. Not a crazy one, a very, very simple one. And so the song is really simple, but quite reflecting that beautiful simplicity of that image I saw there. Nothing more to add, actually. Just this. The space dust.

This monster of an instrumental track was recorded in Dallas, Texas on October 20th 2010.

2D: Things back in Dallas…I don’t know if I can talk about those cos I’m pretty sure they weren’t legal

Murdoc: They weren’t.

2D: Human violence always reminded me of predatory snakes, you see, snakes do that ‘hush hush’ sounds, like, like, they hiss, and people also hiss and hush at victims of their violence, so like...violence in Dallas, Snake in Dallas. Yeah.

Murdoc: Where’s Fifi? Anyway, squiggly little number there. Yeah, yeah I like it, it’s very…well you know, using the music to conger pictures of animals and…oh forget it.

Sharing the single spot with Revolving Doors, as mentioned earlier. This song was recorded in Amarillo, Texas on October 23rd 2010.

Murdoc: I think this may be another standout on this album actually. It’s all in my bassline I think, you know it’s the glue - the glue that really holds this track together. (Sharp inhale) This is nice though. Amarillo featuring Charlie Sheen on maracas I believe. He was quite high when we did this, baked off his head on 100%, pure uncut Charlie…Sheen.

2D: Well, that...that is a difficult one for me. It’s sorta an anti-love song, you can say. It’s about the lack of any human feeling, just deep shock, regret and overwhelming loneliness coming with it, maybe that’s why I asked Murdoc to add some bass here...

The room falls silent. followed by Murdoc clearing his throat and adjusting himself on his leather arm chair.

2D: But also as a way of letting it all out. Yeah, consequences. And that was something that just struck me down, like really, really down. Playing at this place was just...weird, and confusing, I had to go outside, to the night and get a moment of clarity just not to go insane. And while, getting some… well, bad ideas in my head, I started humming and outta that humming came a song. And that’s it. That’s the song. It’s trying not to go insane, sending yourself sort of a nursery rhyme. I- uh…

Murdoc: That’s right! We had a bunch of famous collaborators again for this one. There was er…Boneo- Bono…in the corner watching with his big shoes and his shades on and What’s-HisFace out of Pink Floyd just going bald on the sofa. The Blues Brothers popped in to do backing vocals. Billy Butlin, spoons and looking very relaxed. Adolf Hitler on vibes, nice. Princess Anne on zeusaphone, mmh. And introducing Liberace there on clarinet. Lord Snooty and his pals tap dancing. And in the grove with Harold on violin. And over there on the ukulele, Eric Clapton everyone, thank you Eric…

This track is one of the more iPad heavy songs off the album, as we are bombarded by a dozen TTS bots, and someone attempting to unlock their iPod. This track was recorded in Denver, Colorado on October 24th 2010.

2D: So after a shock and clarity you come into a sort of a trance, focusing on small things. So I was just listening to the sound surrounding the mountains as we were passing by. Mostly heard the sounds of the car, but well, it’s still different. The way it echoed seemed really universal to me, like the speech synthesiser was made just to let you deliver a clear, obstacle-less message.

Murdoc: Oh cmon, he was just playing with some generated voices, it’s not that impressive.

2D: It starts with this gradual escalation of all these voices… noise. Eventually it just gets to the point of everything being too much information at once, you know. Seven. Shut up.

Murdoc: (mocking) You need to shut up. Like, I am not being, like, funny here. But, like, Please stop talking. Yeah?

One of the more peaceful and intimate songs off the record, this instrumental piano tune was recorded in Santa Fe, New Mexico on October 25th 2010, and in Vancouver, Canada on November 3rd 2010.

2D: This may be my favourite track from the album actually. It’s simply about how beautiful the woods in Santa Fe are. Ever been there? They’re just magical in a very simple way. And that song is like a hymn for those, just for the streams, recorded them with Mike Smith, the birds and the trees. It’s a peaceful song, a very, very peaceful one. Just sorta...thought bout the surroundings and started blooping, clicking, playing, humming. All of this just sprung into me for that short minute, all the sadness was gone, I hadn’t felt so good in such a long, long time. This song is the start of, what I like to call, the peace-part of the album. Plus got the bass from Simon... or Simonon, like Paul? I am sorry, I keep confusing them, the one that plays in The Good, The Bad & The Queen, anyway. And this just amazing, amazing, quanun from James R Grippo, brings so much to the song…

Murdoc: Ohhh…so Paul was the one stroking you? Right, got it.

The only track on the album that features any guest vocals, it was recorded in Phoenix, Arizona on October 26th 2010.

Murdoc: Bobby Womack.

2D: Yes.

Murdoc: Dear old Bobby Womack.

2D: Yes.

Murdoc: Legend and soul pioneer, singer extraordinaire… what the hell did he wanna get mixed up with you for?

2D: I guess it wouldn’t surprise you that I have such a sentiment for this one, Bobby was probably the only person that was ever nice to me. Ever since we first met back in California, when Murdoc was kidnapping him, we just clicked instantly, so to have him on my solo record was something else. He was actually interested in what was going on inside my head, unlike everyone else. One night we just sat by a small campfire and talked about our lives, about our music and our experiences in Phoenix. He thought of it as an extremely beautiful place. We sat for a while until I started playing, he eventually joined in singing and out of it came this song. I think while singing it he sort of...let go of all his worries. I just watched and enjoyed the moment, really. Added some synth the next day, it all mixed with the sounds of the campfire. I really miss that man, he was a great friend. I hope we get to play with him again someday.

Murdoc: I-...(pause) Yeah, he is lovely. I’m glad you two got on…kept you off my back at least, right?

The last proper song off the record. Similar to a few previous tracks on the album, the track starts with only 2D’s vocals and acoustic guitar, with some little noises in the background, before it delves into a loud instrumental, featuring various patterns and themes, previously explored on the record. The snake rattles from ‘The Snake In Dallas’, the TTS voice from ‘The Speak It Mountains’, the weird sirens from ‘Shy-Town’, they’re all back for this grand finale. This track was recorded on October 30th 2010 in Oakland, California.

2D: This is a goodbye song. Just the feeling of the stations, airports, whatever. Sitting on your bags and watching how the sun keeps on slipping. Recorded some people talking, you can hear Jamie Hewlett, Smoggy Evans, Tanyel Vahdettin, Mick Jones and some other bloke I can’t remember. And the song is just me laying on those bags, falling asleep, getting into some twisted dreams about escapes and runs and...well. Yeah. You can call this an ending credits song, like some wild montage flashing before your eyes. Twirling, twirling and finally getting away.

Murdoc: Can we just stop this “escaping” and “getting away” shtick, it’s starting to get old. I mean you did have fun in the end, didn’t you?

2D: So yeah, that’s it. That’s The Fall. Sort of my solo act, I suppose. Oh wait, there’s also...

The final song off the record…uh…I actually don’t know what to say about this one. It’s just a toy pickle yodelling…. but…it was recorded in Seattle, Washington on November 2nd 2010…so that’s something.

Murdoc: Yeah, what the hell is this track?

2D: I would like to know it myself. But I can’t remember actually recording it. Nothing, just blackness. Took some painkillers outta your coat to get sum more sleep before heading back to Plastic Beach and -

Murdoc: - Brilliant, glad that’s over and done with.